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From inside out

Since starting Avalanche Media almost two-and-a-half years ago I’ve learned more about public relations and the value it holds for clients than I ever did during my previous lifetime in PR agency employment.

Really listening to what clients need is something many PR agencies pay little attention to, yet is vital in adding real value.

By actually spending time and experiencing the average working day in my clients’ environments, I’ve become acutely aware of the real problems facing business in the current climate.   However, the good news is that with a few simple changes, these can be overcome.

The most common scenario is lack of consistency and attention to critical detail.   Simple things such as quality of business stationery, following up on potential customer enquiries and gaining feedback from customers are all relatively simple procedures to implement, but are commonly forgotten when businesses start to struggle.

Every business owner understands the importance of reputation, but even those who employ PR services often fail to support the outward messages to key audiences with internal procedures and communications.

Another issue for many companies, particularly at the smaller end of the scale, is pricing.   Confidence in your product or service value is key to this.   If you have it, then you should also value the associated cost and not compromise on this.   Before adjusting your prices to encourage more sales, consider that doing so may well affect the way in which your target audiences value your business. Being considered too expensive is usually far more beneficial (even during a recession) than being too cheap.

Ultimately, it all comes down to professionalism and having a proactive attitude towards both the running of your business and promoting its brand.  Compromising on either will undoubtedly affect your reputation in the short term, and provide further associated problems in the longer term.